GIFFEN, Joseph Colin
| Service Numbers: | S31206, SX19112 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 January 1943 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, 30 June 1913 |
| Home Town: | Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Electric Motor Driver |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Brunei Bay Area, Brunei Bay Area, Borneo, 27 July 1945, aged 32 years |
| Cemetery: |
Labuan War Cemetery C. A. 11. |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Private, S31206 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 1943: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Corporal, SX19112 | |
| 20 Jan 1943: | Involvement Lance Corporal, SX19112 | |
| 20 Jan 1943: | Enlisted Wayville, SA | |
| 3 Dec 1943: | Embarked Katoomba, Buna | |
| 27 Jul 1945: | Involvement Corporal, SX19112, 2nd/17th Infantry Battalion, Borneo - Operation Oboe July - August 1945, KIA | |
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, S31206 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
Help us honour Joseph Colin Giffen's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Thomas More College
Joseph Colin Giffen was born on June 30th, 1913, in Broken Hill, New South Wales. He was a Presbyterian and thus from the denomination of Protestantism that emphasizes democratic rule under the Word of God. Giffen was enlisted into the Australian military on 20 January 1943 at Wayville in South Australia. At the time of enlistment, his age was 29 years, and single. His previous occupation was as an electrical motor driver. His next of kin was his mother, Mary Alice Giffen (National Archives Australia, 2024).
Giffen held the final rank of Lance Corporal. Lance corporals are responsible for a small team of up to four soldiers. His service numbers were S31206 and SX19112 (Australian War Memorial, 2024).
He served with the 2nd/17th Australian Infantry Battalion. A unit formed in May 1940 as part of the 9th Division, it was involved in the North African and New Guinea campaigns.
The battalion first defended the siege of Tobruk against the Axis for 241 days during 1941. Participated in the Second Battle of El Alamein, contributing to the Allied victory over the German and Italian forces in North Africa.
After North Africa, the 2nd/17th Battalion was redeployed to the Pacific theatre. They fought in New Guinea and the Borneo campaign, heavily involved in jungle warfare, particularly during the liberation of Borneo in 1945, when Giffen unfortunately passed. The battalion disbanded after the war in 1946 (Virtual War Memorial, 2024).
Giffen was killed in action on July 27th, 1945, at the age of 32 years old, in the Brunei Bay area of Borneo (Commonwealth War graves). He death place Marudi area and initial cemetery Arang, where his grave was marked by bamboo railings, his burial performed by man (National Archives of Australia, 2024). However, Giffen is now rested at the Labuan War Cemetery.
His duty fearlessly and nobly done ever remembered. May we always remember him and his service to the country.
Roll of Honour Joseph Colin Giffen (2024), Australian War Memorial, accessed 21 September 2024.
NAA: B883, SX19112 (2024), National Archives of Australia, accessed 21 September 2024.
Lance Corporal JOSEPH COLIN GIFFEN (2024), Commonwealth War Graves, accessed 21 September 2024.
Giffen, Joseph Colin (2024), Virtual War Memorial, accessed 21 September 2024.
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